By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ
Editor-In-Chief
HARLINGEN, Texas - No one disputes the fact that the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings baseball club is a for-profit operation using a taxpayer-owned ballfield to make its cash, money it funnels out of the city to league headquarters up north. And no one argues the fact that the team apparently owes the City of Harlingen some money, said to be in the $40,000 range, for utilities used last season while doing its best to bring a semblance of semi-pro ball to local fans.
Little is being said about the working contract between the city and the team, or the North American Baseball League sponsoring the WhiteWings. Local blogger and team public relations man Jerry Deal has folded his journalism wings and flown-off in defense of the team that pays him to promote baseball that is not advertised. His latest story pillories Assistant City Manager Gabe Gonzalez following Gonzalez's suggestion that the city rip-up its contract with the WhiteWings.
The WhiteWings are professional only because they do pay their players something, not because these guys could challenge for a spot on the New York Yankees roster. Most of the players are minor leaguers on the downside of their careers; that is, they have had their shot in A, AA, or AAA ball and, well, here they are in the magical Valley. A few others are players who ended their college playing careers, were not invited by any major league team to at the very least tryout and now continue to live the dream out of sheer hope.
These games are not worth whatever the WhiteWings charge at the admission gate.
It's his part-time job, but city resident and respected blogger Deal lashes Assistant City Manager Gonzalez for daring to make the team accountable, yet he ignores a ton of relevant info, such as: (1.) Exactly how much does the team owe, or says it owes in those utility bills? Deal has the access to team management, but he won't press for an answer. (2.) What exactly are the financial requirements to be met by the team for use of the field? Again, blogger Deal has that info, but has not come near revelaing it to his readers. (3.) Why does Harlingen need a business out to bend the contract it works under? What else have the WhiteWings been woeful in doing to comply? (4.) Exactly what does the city get out of this arrangement? Any revenue? Once more, Blogger Deal could easily grab these facts and post then in a story, but he won't.
It isn't the city's biggest or most successful renter, but something grates when a business enterprise begins soft-welching on its responsibilities. Independent ballteams, those not affiliated with a major league baseball club, are largely hand-to-mouth businesses; that is, they don't make a lot of money and the profit & loss margin is at times unbearably thin. All you have to do is read the pages of a few hometown newspapers, such as The McAllen Monitor, to see that money problems tend to blow up a minor league team's dreams.
Harlingen city leaders should divulge the arrangement it has with the WhiteWings in its entirety to the press and to the community.
It's not as if this is a Spring Training operation for the Houston Astros or the Texas Rangers, where good publicity would be the trade-off. Fans do not see Craig Biggio or Lance Berkman or Josh Hamilton nor Michael Young at Harlingen Field.
And it's also true that die-hard fans likely would go see the WhiteWings play in some dusty pasture or vacant lot. That would at least get the city off the expense hook at a time when City Hall budgets are being cut to the bone. Can Harlingen afford to carry the WhiteWings debt? It might.
But why should it?
Residents should protest until the team explains itself or proves it has paid-up...
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38 comments:
outstanding story! thankz. needed to be said. Nothing else coming from Deal or VMS or city hall. It is a damned shame.
This whole North American Baseball League stuff is getting hokier by the minute. I have been following their website for some time now and here's what I have found. Yuma has a team in the same division as the Valley teams yet they do not play any of the teams in this division except they finish the season with 7 games against San Angelo (real league divisions play a round robin). The White Wings do not play Yuma yet finish with three games with Hawaii and Edinburg for example does not play anyone outside the division---nor do they play Yuma which is listed in the same division. How can you have a league without a balanced schedule? Also, they still spout out that the level of play is akin to AA or AAA yet virtually every player I put in the queue at http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/ shows that most have have never ever been as high as AA. Most in fact have played A ball, Rookie Leauge or only Independent ball. And some players do not even have credible backgrounds. Take the Wings manager's son. You can find no stats on him anywhere except that he was on the roster at a community college. This leads me to believe he wasn't good enough to get scholarship at four-year school after his JUCO career or get drafted by any pro team...and this league is AA or AAA equaivalent...give me a break!
PRES E. HOWARD:...The team and the league would do well to acknowledge that this is nothing more than circus baseball. It's a game, yes, but fans have to pay admission. It really is at the level of "free admission-type" sports. If it's about priming players to try for the BIGS, well why should taxpayers carry any of the financial load? It's baseball welfare!... - Editor, a true baseball fan
Baseball Welfare...lmao!! It really is...you don't need to post this....just loved that.
I'd rather catch a movie or get a 12-pack of chelas than sit and watch a bunch of clowns play baseball. Deal is risking his reputation as a newsman by bending over for the team. It's not pro baseball, dude!
I'm not catching a Wings game until I read that the team has paid its bills to the city. Hell, I can watch baseball on TV. Why go to that dusty field in the hot heat? Not to see wannabes! I'm not stupid, Harlingen!
El De Los Fresnos may be on to something. I think back in the '50s there was a traveling team called the Indianapolis Clowns that would go around to cities and play baseball games and put on a show at the same time and I think Hank Aaron (if that is incorrect then I apologize)had played for them. They were like the Globetrotters are now to basketball. I recall some derivation of this team still existed well into the 1970s as I remember going to a show...er game they put on where I grew up. And come to think of it, it looked pretty much like what I see when I go to a WhiteWings game.
It's all Corrupted and Biasesd Politics, Like eveything The Oppresive and represive Communist / Socialists " WELFARE PROGRAMS "... to keep all Minorities and colored people Down, Quiet and to DESTROY THEIR COURAGE and SELF - STEEM !!!
Playball! and PayBill! Pay that bill, pay that bill, pay that bill. The Tribune gives us the stuff others won't.
I agree there's just not enough info about this deal with the team. Put it out there, jerry. You may get some fans on your side. Until then we are led to think hat Harlingen is being fooled. We're tired of being ripped off, man!
Deal is writing about some broken down motel instead of going after the facts in the WhiteWings contract and debt. he just wants to move on. Poor man.
Tony Chapa is writing nothing about the WhiteWings. He doesn'ty know what to do with it. he's nota journalist. It's a story that the citizens need to know about. Chapa focuses on cops. One day he'll need them and they won't come help his ass. press release, press release, press release is RIGHT. LOSER!
The word at the coffee shop by several cops, Chapaneco hates the cops because sometime back he was placed in jail due to a unpaid ticket. Plus, the rumor is that the Villareal character who was killed at the Maryland apts, had chapampaneco running scared and was forever calling the cops, because the cobarde chapaneco was afraid of his daughters boyfriend.
I hear some cop is considering sueing, and it might be sooner than he thinks.
I don't know too much about the Whitewings, but the word is that they more than $40.000 dollars. Why no one is saying anything is just beyond me. I hear is more around $300.000. I heard it at el Jardin cantina in Harlingen. Time for Deal to come clean, damn Chapa's blog is full of crap.
And the Carnival Barker Jerry Deal is not very honest.
Oh well, chapaneco is around 66 and Jerry is around 90, viejos mamones.
(Anon, chapa is a loser), interesting comments were said, at a local cantinucha, interesting comments about the loser.
Teacher/tape sex, boy, she was keeping busy. I don't recall any of my teachers being attractive and easy.
Most of my teachers in high school were middle overweight women and the male teachers, who at times appeared to have missing screw. Specially, the math teachers, damn they were weird.
About the teacher and sex video? The husband of this teacher is in the military? No wonder she was doing what she was doing? There was no one at home taking care of business? How in God's name can he support her knowing that the police found video of her deceit? What an idiot?????????????????
Jerry Deal is not biting. he won't answer questions about the wings and the light bill. Losing credibility fast!
Hate to say this, but Deal has become like chapaneco, not credible at all. Que lastima.
I think the wings start playing in late May, the 25th to be a date. but they are playing out of town. Fire works are on the Agenda.
The world ain't ending. Too many bad people left. They won't let it happen. God is dead.
Nogthing ever came from Jerry Deal on the WhiteWings mess. Let's blow off that sorry team.
Republicans don't give a damn about anybody else. they are in power and they will do what they want. It's sad cause that's not representative government. The people need to rise against those infidels!
WhiteWings are not the answer to the city's economy. Thay are actually a big drag. Not paying your bill cause you don't agree with it is BS. Jerry Deal is not being honest.
God is alive in the hearts and souls of believers around the world.
As for the Rapture, see 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-2 “1 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” Also see Matthew 24: 36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
The important thing is that we should live out lives in Christ’s teachings everyday as if it was the day of His return.
It's a shame that we have to see teachers being laid off while politicians pass a law to carry guns anywhere they want. May they all rot in Hell!.
What if we carry signs against the WhiteWings at the first game. Are those allowed? Hey, Jerry deal, are those allowed? Pay the bill, pay the bill, pay the bill.
I heard it's Deal's son, Jason who is behind the MyHarlingenNews II blog. Is that right? he's supposed to be a webmaster or something. Chapa blamed the editor of this blog. But that's why he's in last place. LOL!!!
Nah, I bet it's Jake who created MHN II just to keep playing his stupid game. Poor Chapa thinks Jake is on his side. I'd bet $100.
Chapa is dumping on Joey Trevino now. What a loser. As if he knows anything about politics. He's a high school dropout, unemployed and being supported by his wife. Trevino ought to kick his ass.
Typical city commissioners conducting business in executive session just like they did in Bass Pro and the Reese deal? Now, we are allowing the White Wings to play in a taxpayer maintained location for free? Why hasn't City Hall come clean about what they owe? Why hasn't that worthless newspaper Valley Late As Usual Morning Star ask for a public information request on this deal. Isn't it their job to report the truth? Where is the parks board on this? Is Gabe really looking out for the interest of the taxpayers in Harlingen or is he trying to pull the "wool over the eyes of Harlingen? The truth needs to come out and prove Deal or Gabe wrong? Only in Harlingen, you can't get the truth until the "shit" hits the fan!!!!!!!!!!!!
ALL:...You'll notice a certain gutter-lingo, four letter word in the comment above this one. We do not generally allow such language, believing that clear English does the job quite well. But we made an exception because we felt the commenter's points belong in the topic's conversation. As always, we gauge submissions on an individual basis... - Editor
nothing happened. the world did not end. Man, now I have to pay my car note!
I knew it wasn't going to happen. It's just BS. HAPPENS EVERY FEW YEARS! Fool comes out and says it's over, but it never is. Oh, well.
The world ends to people who die, but it doesn't end for everyone. As for the Whitewings, I am boycotting them.
Agree with Harlingen Taxpayer, too many free loaders living off tax-payers.
They, "the city of Harlingen" can't afford to tear an 1100 square foot home, yet the city allows a sand lot baseball team, play without paying the light bill.
By the way el Mesquite rest. on 21st street and Harrison has closed shop, "no business." The city is dead on arrival.
There are a lot of empty buildings in Harlingen. And the damn property owners rent them real high. One landlord is asking for $1.50 a square foot, go figure on a 1100 square foot building. Crazy, the city is gone bonkers.
Chapaneco is having his butt kissed by Jackey and some other loosers who blog, at the rag line blog. That J.J.O. was banned sometime back from Chapos blog and went to Jerry's blog, now he is kissing Chaparon el joton's ass. What a pack of losers. Well what can you expect, like the city of Harlingen, these losers deserved that hick town.
My apologizes Paz-Martinez on the four letter word. Thanks for posting anyway. Will watch wording on next submission.
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